Problem: Ben has 18 apples for every 14 nectarines. Write the ratio of apples to nectarines as a simplified fraction.
Solution: Ratios can be written in a few different ways that mean the same thing. You can express a ratio with a colon separating the two numbers. $18:14$ You can write it out as a phrase like this. $18 \text{ to } 14$ Or, you can express a ratio as a fraction. $\dfrac{18}{14}=\dfrac{9}{7}$ Therefore, $\dfrac{9}{7}$ is the ratio of apples to nectarines written as a simplified fraction.